Here is another album from everyone's favorite Vikings. This time the band really pulled themselves together to create a truly impressive masterwork. The album starts with a magnificent epic "739 (The Battle of Lindisfarne)," which, alone, is worth the price of the record. On the course of 16 minutes the song alternates between epic northern atmosphere and 100 miles an hour Black/Viking metal, accompanied by Gruttle Kjellson's Viking chants and a beautiful folkish section somewhere in the middle. The rest of the album follows a similar pattern. Breakneck speed and Kjellson's rasps are paired with chanting and epic sections. The musicianship is top notch. So is the music, brutal yet melodic, and, most importantly, never boring. Ivar Bjornson's guitar riffs really get stuck in your head, and Harald Helgeson's precise drumming rounds off the package nicely. There really is no reason for me to go on. Be it a gorgeous closing composition "Eld," or more straightforward assault of "The Man from Hordaland," every song on this record is a winner. A flawless album from the #1 Viking band.

© 1999 boris